Oatmeal Raisin Carrot Cookies

I like carrot cake enough to wonder why there aren’t more carrot cake-like concoctions around. The cake is known for being moist and spicy – attributes that are prized in many baked goods, after all. In playing around with the idea, I decided to try carrot cake in combination with an oatmeal cookie and was really happy with the result.

The cookies are your standard drop cookies, with butter and sugar creamed together before the rest of the ingredients are added. I stirred in the shredded carrots at the end, along with the oatmeal and the raisins, just before putting them in the oven. The cookies were a bit cakey – which is not a bad thing in this case, since the cookies are inspired by a cake to begin with – and had a nice, chewy texture to them. I used my pumpkin pie spice blend for the spices in the cookies, but you can mix in cinnamon, etc. separately if you don’t have the mix.

I would definitely recommend using freshly grated carrot in these cookies instead of pre-grated, in the event that you keep that on hand as a “convenience” item. It doesn’t take very long to grate them and you really only need two carrots, depending on the size you have on hand. The fresh carrots add moisture to the cookies, too.

The cookies are best within a day or two of baking, but freeze pretty well. If you’re so inclined, you can sandwich them with some cream cheese frosting for a more indulgent treat.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg, vanilla and spices.
With the mixer on low speed, or working by hand, stir in flour mixture. Once no streaks of flour remain, stir in carrots, oats and raisins.
Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies are set and lightly browned on the edges. Cool for 3 or 4 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I love carrot cake too. Will have to give these a try plus its a sneaky way of getting hubby and baby to eat more vegetables!!

Carrie

June 26, 2008

I made these this afternoon and they turned out beautifully! The only thing I did differently is added the spices to the dry ingredients instead of to the butter and sugar. I iced them with cream cheese frosting and they were awesome. My audience suggested the addition of chopped walnuts.

Thanks for sharing the recipe!

marla

June 27, 2008

LOVED these! what a genius idea. i’m wondering if i can make them with less butter and use applesauce instead? they were fabulous!!! thank you!

susie.

Made these cookies on a whim this afternoon and loved them! I even wrote about them on my new blog. 🙂 Love this site, too! I’m looking forward to exploring it more in the near future.

(Totally left this comment on another recipe I was looking at here. Oops!)

Emma

November 5, 2010

1st batch out of the oven and they are lovely, I’d say a cross between a cookie and a rock cake (might just be my way of cooking)

I used regular oats (the cheap version) and I even added some of the dregs at the bottom of a cereal packet to give a bit of crunch.

Love the fact that they don’t taste too sweet.

Cookies are now my thing. 🙂

Jess

June 6, 2011

These are delicous! I have just made some but diddn’t add the pumpkin pie spice, and I forgot too add the oats! I think the oats would be lovely in them and will add them next time I make them! They are also a great way of sneeking a carrot into your diet aswell! 🙂

Megan

February 27, 2012

These are delicious! I sub’ed half the butter with some applesauce and used chocolate chips b/c I didn’t have any raisins. THey’re a hit with my 2 year old too.

twinkletoes75

April 15, 2012

great recipe! these cookies are yummy and healthy too! we substituted nutmeg (what was already in our pantry) for pumpkin spice.
next time i’m making a double batch!